User blog:JohnnyOTGS/JohnnyTalk America~Why some State Flags are loved and others are hated?
Hello everybody and this is another edition of JohnnyTalk America. Today, I'm going to talk about our nation's States as well as their flags. As you know, there are 50 States currently in the Union, and each of the States has their own flag. Some flags such as the ones for California ''and ''Texas are so beloved by not just their own respective residents but others across the nation, that they even like to show it on wearable merchandise such as shirts and hats. But, I don't see that kind of admiration from the flag from my native New Jersey. As you can see the flag has the State's seal and with a pale yellow background, that's it. So why is that, why are some State flags such as the ones for California, Texas, Arizona and a State that is *not* west of the Mississippi, like Maryland are loved and cherished, and others (like the flag of New Jersey) aren't? A Vexilologist (somebody who studies flags) named Ted Kaye wrote this book titled Good Flag, Bad Flag. In this book is 5 basic rules that Kaye thinks that a flag should follow in order to be loved and admired. The 5 Rules Rule #1: Keep it simple Kaye believes that a flag must have a simple design that it can be easily recognized from a distance as well as close up. In fact, he thinks the design should be so simple that a child could recognize it easily. The flag of Texas comes into mind, because it is a very simple design with just 3 different colored rectangles and a star in the middle of the blue rectangle. In fact, the flag of Texas is so easily recognizable that even the State of Texas comes into mind when you think of this flag. Though, the flag of New Jersey doesn't have a simple design, because of the State Seal, it makes the design quite complex. Rule #2: Use Meaningful Symbolism Kaye also believes that if a flag is going to use a symbol, it should be meaningful to whatever it is related to. A good example of this rule is the flag of California as it has not one but 2 symbols that have meaning. The Californian Grizzly Bear (which sadly became extinct by 1924) is a symbol of the State's wildlife and the red star on the upper left corner is a symbol of California's original flag which was inspired by Texas' independence from Mexico and also declared independence from Mexico (though it's independence was never recognized by Mexico or the USA). Another good example is the flag of New Mexico, which has the "Red Sun of The Zia" which is a symbol of the Pueblo Native American Tribe (which hail from New Mexico) and the red and yellow colors are a symbol of the State's Spanish Heritage. A bad example is the flag of Washington, we all know that the State of Washington is named after the hero of the US Revolution and our nation's first President. But Washington himself never visited the Pacific Northwest, so the state has nothing to do with George Washington himself. Rule #3: Use 2 to 3 different colors According to Kaye, a good flag doesn't go overboard on the colors, it just uses simple colors (and that also includes the different shades of one color) and they're easy to distinguish. A few good examples are the flags of Texas and New Mexico. As you can see that they use only 2 to 3 different colors, and they are also basic and thus very easy to recognize. There are a few exceptions to this particular rule. The flags of Arizona, Colorado and Maryland. All 3 of these flags use 4 different colors. Nevertheless, they're easily recognizable and even admirable. Rule #4: No Lettering or Seals Kaye even thinks that a flag should avoid using any kind of words or complex symbols like seals. Because letters are next to impossible to read from a distance, and makes the flag more complex to design (and hard to replicate). Take some of the world's national flags (let's use the USA, Great Britain and Japan for examples) as you can see there are just using colors and symbols, no letters or complex seals or coat of arms on them at all. Because these flags don't need any, and neither should a flag of a State. Unfortunately, the flag of New Jersey breaks this particular rule (as does 24 other States in the Union) because it is the State's Seal and it has the letters "Liberty and Prosperity" on the bottom as well. Now, there are some exceptions to this rule, like the flags of Iowa and Missouri. ''They also use their respective seals, but in Iowa's case, it only uses the Bald Eagle (which is in the seal of Iowa) and not the entire seal, with Missouri it also uses the seal but it also uses different colors. Rule #5: Be distinctive or Be related Kaye also believes that the flag has to be different and try not to copy another flag's design, or in the least relate to the culture of a particular nation (or State) The best example of this rule is the flag of ''Ohio. It is quite unique but yet it's not (so it may not be a good example). It looks a lot like Old Glory, but it' shape it's what makes it unique, it is the only flag in the Union that is a Swallow-Tail Pennant (inspired by the Burgee flag which was used by some Union Troops during the Civil War), it also relates to the State of Ohio very well as the stripes on the flag symbolize the roads and rivers in the State and the red circle is a symbol of the Buckeye Nuts (which give the State's nickname "The Buckeye State". Now, the Seal of New Jersey does sorta relate to the State's culture as the plows in the middle symbolize the State's agriculture (which reflects the State's Nickname: "The Garden State") and the diving helmet symbolize the coastlines of the State as well. A bad example of this rule is (again) the flag of Washington, as it doesn't do a good job relating to the State's culture or even nature of the State. Johnny's Flags Ranked Now, I have came up with my own ranks for the State flags, and I have categorized them: Great, Good, OK, Poor ''and ''Bad. Great These Flags are what I consider the "Great" ones as they broke none of Kaye's rules. They're simple designs, they use basic colors and they relate to their State very well. My personal favorite is Arizona's flag which relates to the state almost perfectly especially with the sun's rays (which I think symbolizing the sun descending towards the desert floor). Good These are the "Good" Flags, they broke some of the rules, but they're used in a way to still be appealing. OK These are the "OK" flags, meaning that they still look good or in the least did a good job at it but broke some of the rules if not most of them. Poor These are the "Poor" Flags, they broke the majority of the rules and didn't really do much of a job to follow even some of them. It is with a heavy heart that I put the flag of my native New Jersey within this category of flags, as I keep saying it just has the State Seal with a Pale Yellow background. But at least it tried to be distinctive (though it didn't do a very good job at it), unlike the flags coming up next. Bad These flags are the "Bad" ones, they broke all of the rules and did a "bad" job trying to compensate. Most of these bad flags have a blue background, now I personally like the color blue but as far as State Flags are concerned it's just overused, and without words on them, it's very difficult to tell them apart. Well, that is it for this edition of JohnnyTalk. Don't forget to check out my Games and Movies wikia. Until next time, this is JohnnyOTGS signing out. Category:Blog posts